Investigation of the Physical and Mechanical Properties and Chemical Composition of Bambusa rigida Before and After Accelerated Aging

• Published in: Bioresources Vol. 9; no. 2; pp. 3174 - 3183
• Main Authors: Huang, Xing-Yan, Xie, Jiu-Long, Qi, Jin-Qiu, Hao, Jian-Feng, Jiang, Xiao-Qin, Hu, Wan-He
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: North Carolina State University 01.05.2014
• Subjects: Accelerated aging; Bambusa rigida; Chemical components; Physical and mechanical properties
• ISSN: 1930-2126; 1930-2126
• DOI: 10.15376/biores.9.2.3174-3183

The differences in the physical and mechanical properties and chemical composition of Bambusa rigida bamboo before and after accelerated aging tests were comparatively investigated. The results revealed that the aged specimens had lower physical and mechanical properties than the controls. The differences in chemical composition provided evidence that the reduction in physical and mechanical properties was related to the loss of low-molecular weight substances, such as extracts and inorganic matter, and the depolymerization of the carbohydrates cellulose and hemicellulose. Lignin caused the main resistance to the accelerated aging test because the aged specimens had relatively high Klason lignin content. Significant differences (p<0.05) in surface color between the control and aged specimens were observed, and variations in bamboo properties among culm heights were also evaluated in this study. The results showed that basic density and mechanical properties for both the control and aged specimens increased with increasing culm height, while the volume shrinkage showed an inverse trend.